Bunny and the Fox
by CartoonNerd12
Summary: A Beauty and the Beast AU. This is basically what would have happen if Nick never betrayed Mr. Big and before Judy went to the academy.
1. Prologue

Prologue

 _Never let them see they get to you…_ He vowed that a long time ago and he carried that philosophy with him in life as he followed through on his boss's orders to cheat and scam other animals. His employer's family had been good to him for all those years that he couldn't go away. He was fairly content where he was at and what others thought of him. Let them think he was the untrustworthy fox that he was. He didn't let anybody tell him otherwise… At least, that's what he kept telling himself since he made sure to never let on how alone and broken he really was…


	2. Judy

Judy

Judy Hopps was so excited as she made her deliveries of her family's farm goods in her hometown of Bunnyburrow. She waved to her many neighbors as she passed by in her truck. She stopped in front of a house, where an elderly rabbit was pruning his rosebushes.

"Good morning, Mr. Longfoot!"

"Good morning, Judy! Almost finished with your deliveries?"

"Uh-huh, and I have exciting news! I've just received my acceptance letter from the Zootopia police academy!"

"Well, congratulations!"

"You seem to be the only one who's actually happy for me… My parents and some other neighbors I have told don't seem very thrilled…"

"Oh, that's because they're worried about you."

"I know… When I was little, Mom and Dad wanted me to settle down and realize that my dream of being a cop was foolhardy, but I was determined to make it work and now it's all about to pay off! I can't wait to get to the academy!" She did a little jump out of happiness.

Mr. Longfoot just smiled, "You do that, Judy Hopps. You do that."

Once she got back in her truck and began making her way home, someone flagged her down.

"Judy! Judy!" a hare about her age called out.

She stopped the truck and rolled down the window, "Is something wrong, Harold?"

"My car broke down about a few miles back. I don't suppose you can give me a lift to the service station?"

"Of course! Hop in!"

He literally did as he took a seat next to her and she drove them away.

"Guess what? I've been accepted into Zootopia's police academy!"

"Oh… that's… great?" he said with uncertainty.

"I know, mammals think it's a long shot for a rabbit to join the force, but I'm determined to prove it's not!"

"But what if it is? I mean it's nice to have dreams, but sometimes things don't go the way you plan."

"Did that happen to you?"

"Oh, no. I was practical by having no dreams and I listen to my parents about finding a nice bunny to settle down with."

"My parents told me the same thing, but I wanted to show them they were wrong."

"That's too bad, because I know a lot of hares that would like having a hard-working - and lovely - bunny such as you."

"That's sweet of them to think so, but I need to focus on my police career if I want to make it. Besides, I want to be an officer for a while before I get married."

"But say if you do fail at the academy, would you come back home to find a rabbit to settle with?"

"Well, I would find other ways to become a cop, but if nothing works, then… I guess I would…" she frowned at the thought, but then put on a smile, "But we'll see what happens first."

"Sure."

She stopped at the service station.

Harold got out, "Thanks again for the lift, Judy."

"It's no problem. After all, I'm going into law enforcement and it'll be my duty to help mammals. See you around!" She drove off.

Harold turned to a rabbit driving in, who asked, "Did you get to talk to Judy like you wanted to?"

He got in with the rabbit, "I did. Thanks for dropping me off so I could catch her."

"Speaking of catches, think you will get your chance of having her for a wife?"

"It might be a while, but… I might not have to wait too long. It's cute that Judy thinks she can get into the ZPD, but let's face it. We know that won't happen."

His companion merely gave a nod.

* * *

Judy walked into the kitchen where her mom was preparing dinner with the help of some of her siblings.

"Hi, Mom. Where's Dad?"

"Your father is getting ready for a big delivery to Zootopia. Someone heard of our produce and just asked for a huge order!"

"That's great! First my acceptance letter, now this! This is so amazing!"

But Bonnie gave an unsure smile, "Honey, are you positive you want to go?"

"Mom, yes! This is what I have been waiting for all my life! I know you're scared for me, but you don't have to worry so much…" She gave an assuring smile, but her mom wasn't swayed.

By then, Stu Hopps came in and was swarmed with young bunnies. He did his best to greet them all and hug them. He got to Judy and said, "Hey there, Jude the dude!"

She blushed in embarrassment, "Dad… we talked about this…"

"Oh, but you'll always be Jude the dude to me!"

"Even when I become a police officer for the ZPD?"

Stu cringed, but did his best to smile, "You know your mother and I want your happiness, but it's so strange how the rest of your older siblings would stick around to raise families and there's you… We just don't understand where that came from."

"Don't worry about me, Daddy, I'll be fine. Now why don't you tell me about this delivery you have to make to Zootopia?"

"I'm leaving first thing in the morning. It's going to take me all day to get there."

"Do you want someone to come with you?"

"No, no. I need you here to help your mother mind the farm."

"Sure, Dad."

He turned to his kin, "All right! Go wash up and we'll eat!"

There was cheering as a stampede of tiny rabbits ran by their father and older sister. Judy just smiled as she followed after them.

Stu sighed as he sat the large table. His wife joined him and patted his back.

"What are we going to do about her?" he asked.

"Nothing, I'm afraid. We did our best to make sure she didn't raise her hopes too high. I don't want her to go, but maybe it's the only way she'll learn."

"I won't like seeing her so disappointed when she comes back…"

"We'll just have to help her once she realizes that her dreams were just too high for her to reach…"

He sighed and he held his wife's paw, bracing for the outcome. They were unaware that there was something else they should worry about instead…


	3. The Deal

The Deal

Stu got into his truck as his large horde of sons and daughters and even his wife was waving him off.

Judy called out, "Bye, Dad! Good luck!"

Stu called back, "I'll be back this evening!" He started the engine and started driving away. He looked in his rearview mirror and smiled at the bunnies still waving to him. Stu knew what a good life he had and he wasn't planning on letting it go.

* * *

Stu felt lost. He was at the city limits of Zootopia, but he wasn't sure where to go. He took a turn and hoped for the best, but suddenly, he saw whiteness ahead and felt his wheels slipping on the road. He tried slowing down, but it wasn't working. The whiteness kept on coming down and he couldn't see the road anywhere…

 _CRASH!_

His truck crashed into a tree! Stu started panting and tried reaching for his cell, but his phone didn't have any bars, so he couldn't call for help. He started feeling cold and shivered.

He decided to see if there was some way he could find help. He walked around the snow and tried to keep warm as possible. He was starting to lose hope when he saw lights in the distance and went closer to them. He saw it was a manor and a gate surrounded it. He went up to the gate and to his surprise, it was open. He went straight to the door and knocked.

The door slowly opened and a polar bear answered it. Stu felt intimidated by the mammal's large size.

The bear addressed him, "What are you doing here?"

"P-please, I don't mean to trespass, but my truck crashed into a tree and I can't get a signal on my phone. I just need to get warm and a phone to call my family."

"This is a private residence. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave…"

"Kevin!" a high-pitched voice came from inside.

The bear turned his head back inside, "Yes, Mistress Fru-Fru?"

"Let the poor animal in!"

"But-but your father…"

"I don't care! That animal needs our help! Now let him in!"

The bear sighed, "Very well…" He turned back to the rabbit, "You may come in…" He opened the door wide and Stu stepped inside.

"T-thank you…" he stuttered and gaped at his surroundings. The manor inside was classy and rich.

"Oh, you poor thing!" the high-pitched voice said and he turned to find a small female shrew on a table near him. "You're soaked to the bone. Kevin, escort this poor rabbit to the fire."

"Thank you…" Stu smiled at the shrew.

"You're quite welcome!"

Kevin told Fru-Fru, "You know your father isn't going to like this…"

"You let me worry about Daddy. Now please, this rabbit will catch cold if he doesn't get warm."

The bear followed her orders, leading the rabbit away just as two foxes came out from another room. One was a tall, red fox with a casual smirk on his face while the other was a fennec fox with a constant scowl on his face.

"What's this about you worrying about Daddy dearest?" the red fox asked.

"Nicky, a poor rabbit got lost in the blizzard and crashed his vehicle! I couldn't just stand by and let a poor creature who needs help stand out there in the cold."

The fennec fox poked his head in the room where the rabbit was next to a blazing fire. He faced Fru-Fru, "You let a bunny in?"

"Is it a snow hare?" Nick asked.

"Nope, just an ordinary, common farm bunny. What one of them is doing all the way out here is beyond me."

"Interesting…" Nick decided to peek in on their unexpected guest, "Huh…You were right, Finnick. It does look like an ordinary farm bunny. For a minute there, I thought you were pulling my leg."

"No, this would be pulling your leg." He grabbed the larger fox's leg and managed to trip him.

Fru-Fru sighed, "I swear, you boys love to roughhouse."

"It's what we're good at, Fru," Nick smirked as he got back up.

"Well, I got more important matters like attending to our guest. Nicky, if you please…"

Nick picked her up and set her down. She walked towards the room, but before she went inside, she told the foxes, "Stay out here and keep an eye out for Daddy."

"I thought you weren't going to worry about Daddy?" Finnick questioned.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to be sure…" She then went inside.

Nick muttered, "Too bad, she's the only one who can stand up to him."

"No kidding, especially since we need these jobs or it's back to pawpsicle hustling for us…"

"I didn't mind it. The only reason I decided to take Mr. Big's offer was because his family helped me out of a scrape and he was paying double the amount what we were getting from those pawpsicles."

"Should we tell him about his so-called house guest?"

"Nah. Fru-Fru is in charge as much as he is. Let her tend to the poor, suffering animals that crawl to this place."

"What do you mean crawl to this place, Nicholas?" a voice spoke, causing Nick to look frightened while Finnick expressed no emotion.

Mr. Big was held by a polar bear escort as he glanced at the two foxes standing in his path.

"Um, I was talking about the roaches I saw earlier today!"

"Oh, yeah. Huge roaches," Finnick stated. "They were in the kitchen."

"Impossible! I hire only the best to keep this manor cleaned. As you know, it was in my family for generations. It must be kept pristine for those worthy to enter this home!"

"Uh, just out of curiosity…" Nick started, "Would a bunny rabbit be considered worthy?"

"Of course not! No one gets into this house without my permission!" Suddenly, there was a loud sneeze, causing Mr. Big's eyebrow to rise, "What… was that?"

"What was what? Oh! The sneeze! That was me. I tend to sneeze so good, it sounds like it's coming from somewhere else!"

Finnick glanced at his colleague with a 'seriously?' look.

"Something strange is going on here… You boys are hiding something from me…"

"Hiding? What could we be possibly hiding from you?" Nick said with fake sincerity.

Big just scowled and gave a single command, "Move."

With that, they let him past.

Once Big saw what was going on, he demanded to the rabbit, "How dare you invade my home!"

"No, Daddy! I let him in!" Fru-Fru insisted.

"Nevertheless, he has got to go!"

Stu tried to speak up, "I'm-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude! I was just trying to find help! My truck-"

"That is none of my concern. Now go before I ice you!"

Nick and Finnick then rushed in the room with Nick saying, "Ice him?!"

Stu was startled by the fox's sudden appearance and bumped into a rose-printed Ming vase with roses in it. The vase fell with a smash, causing the flowers inside to scatter across the floor. Everyone gaped at the broken vase, even Finnick. They slowly turned to look at Big, who was stunned.

After a brief moment, Big said in a low tone, "Do you know what you have done…?"

Stu stammered as two polar bears grabbed him to face their boss.

"That vase… was an heirloom from my Grandmama… She was a good shrew… She took me in when I had no parents… She was the only family I knew until I had my wife and daughter… She left me all her worldly possessions, including that priceless vase… It was her favorite, too. She told me to always be careful with it, and I did until you barged into my home and destroyed it! Now what are you going to do to repay me?!"

"I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to break your grandmother's vase! I wish I can pay you back, but I have a family, too! They need everything I earn!"

"Then you will stay here until your debt has been paid back to me. I will give you until tomorrow to tell your family you will be away for a while, and then you will be brought back here. Is that understood?"

Stu gulped before saying, "Y-yes…"

* * *

It was late at night as Stu was dropped off at his home, thanks to Mr. Big's limo driver, Mr. Manchas. The panther gave the bunny a sympathetic look before driving away.

Stu entered the house and Judy's arms quickly wrapped around him.

"We were so worried! We were just about to call the sheriff's office when you came home!"

Bonnie fretted, "Stu, what happened? Where were you?"

Stu sighed, "I'll explain everything…" He led them into the living room.

Luckily, the rest of the children were in bed, so he could tell his wife and Judy about his run-in with Mr. Big.

"…So now I have to go back to repay for the vase that I accidently broke."

"But who knows how long that will be?!" Judy exclaimed. "That was an expensive vase and an heirloom! You'll be stuck there forever!"

"I have no choice. Until I can repay him back, I won't be free from his grip."

"Then… let me go for you…"

Her parents' eyes widened in shock.

"Judy, no!" said her mother. "We're talking about a vicious crime boss!"

"And he's got predators living in his home! A fox! Two of them, in fact! But one of them is much bigger than the other!"

"I'm not scared of a couple of foxes." But unconsciously, she touched her furry cheek, which hid a secret from her past. "Besides, it's not like the ancient days… Predators and prey are living together in the world."

"But it never hurts to be careful…" her mom pointed.

"Dad, please… You're needed here and you know it. Mom, you know it's true. The farm won't survive without Dad's know-how. At least with me, I can take your place and serve this Mr. Big until the debt's been repaid."

Her parents glanced at each other with uncertainty, but in the end, they knew their daughter was right. But as scared as they were before about her leaving for the police academy, they were more scared than ever about this newest development.

* * *

 _ **AN: For those who have read my first Zootopia fanfic,**_ **First Date,** _ **I want to let you know I am making a sequel to it by focusing more on Ben and Gazelle but once I read**_ **The Lucky Charm _by_ 1tT4k3sTw0, _I made a suggestion to them that they should do a Beauty and the Beast version of Zootopia when I realized too late that I could do it instead, so let me know what you think of this so far._**


	4. Home for now

Home… for now

The limo pulled in early the next morning and Judy got her suitcase next to her as her parents waited on the porch. They didn't want their other children to be around to see this. Judy knew they would just tell her siblings that she left for the academy early and wanted to get a head start. She gave them one last hug as she made her way to the limo.

* * *

Judy was amazed by how big the place was for a shrew to live in.

 _Guess that's why they call him Mr. Big…_ she thought with a grin, but then frowned when thinking about her father's ordeal.

The gates opened as the limo drove in. Manchas opened the door for her.

"Thank you," she smiled at him.

"I just hope the boss will accept you being here instead of your father."

"I hope so, too…"

* * *

Nick was drinking some coffee on his way to meet the new rabbit servant when a female rabbit with amethyst eyes walked through the door instead. He ducked into a room where Finnick was sitting on a couch watching TV on the big screen when he noticed Nick.

"What's got your tail in a knot?"

Nick grabbed the small fox and pointed out to the bunny that arrived, "That's not the same rabbit from last night, is it?"

"No. It's not. Now let go of me or I'm going to get really mad."

Nick dropped him without a care. "Well, then, I'm going to have to put on the old Nick charm to find out what's going on…" He puffed his chest up and stepped into the hallway.

Judy was amazed by how everything looked so grand that she didn't see the fox coming up to her. When she did see him, he was so close that she literally jumped up in the air and landed on the hard ground.

"Kind of jumpy, aren't you?" the fox smirked.

Judy didn't know why, but the way the fox was smirking at her, she disliked it and just glared at him as she got back on her feet.

The fox continued to talk, "Now correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there was a different bunny here last night… So unless some magical potion changed your looks and gender, I do think we have a rabbit crisis on our hands because many random bunnies keep showing up here…"

After hearing enough, Judy retorted, "For your information, that was my father you met, and I am willing to take his place to repay what he owes Mr. Big. So I suggest you take me to your boss so I can tell him that myself…"

Nick said in a sickly-sweet tone as he held his paws together, "Oh, that is so sweet… I knew bunnies were emotional, but this really takes the cake! Sacrificing yourself for your father, that is truly amazing!"

"If you're done being sarcastic, Mister… whoever-who-are… think you can take me to your boss now…?"

"Wilde. The name's Nicholas Wilde. Nick for short."

"Fine. Mister Wilde, will you now please take me to your boss?"

"I would… but the boss is pretty busy right now, and he doesn't like it when he's disturbed… Instead, I get to show you around and what you'll be doing to work off that high debt for your father." He took the lead as she just sighed and followed after him as they made their way up the stairs. "I hope you'll come to like it here. The way Mr. Big was ranting over that vase, you could be here for quite some time. So basically, you can go anywhere you like except the West Wing. That's the boss's quarters. You do not want to go near there."

"I'll keep that mind. So… where am I supposed to sleep?"

"Not sure. Mr. Big didn't express any sleeping arrangements for the rabbit that broke his grandmother's favorite vase. But what I can tell you is that you'll be doing servant work until Big believes the debt has been paid in full."

"That's not so bad."

"You think so, but Mr. Big runs a tight household, so it's not going to be easy."

"I wouldn't be so sure. If I can get an acceptance letter to the Zootopia Police Academy, then I can certainly handle manual labor."

Nick stared back at her in disbelief, "Wait… you got an acceptance letter from the Zootopia Police Academy…?"

She smiled proudly, "Yes. Yes, I did."

"You… You actually got accepted to join the police force?" he started to snort and it grew, "That's… that's just…" he burst out laughing.

"And just what is so funny about it?!" she demanded.

"That you actually believe you can become the first rabbit cop! There's a reason it's never been done before: rabbits just don't have what it takes!"

"Well, this rabbit does! And I am tired of everyone telling me that it can't be done! I can't wait to get there so I can prove them and you wrong! Once I'm done helping my father pay off the debt, I can't wait to get away from here and from you!"

She ran down the steps just as Nick was about to interject. He didn't understand why her comment hurt the way it did. He promised himself he wouldn't let anyone get to him, and yet this rabbit… this bunny… had the guts to talk back to him the way she did. The words echoed in his brain, _"…to get away from here and from you!"_

"…From you…" he said to himself, "Of course… because I am nothing more than an untrustworthy fox… Who doesn't want to get away from me…?"

* * *

Judy was downstairs trying to find Mr. Big when she ended up in the kitchen and bumped into a smaller fox.

"Watch where you're going!" he yelled.

"I'm so sorry! I was only trying to find Mr. Big!"

"Well, I can tell you he's not here, but I can show you where his daughter is…"

"Can you? That would be so great!"

"Well, aren't you a peppy one…" he motioned for her to follow.

He led her into a large dining hall. A table was in the middle of the room and on it was a lovely female shrew. The shrew turned her head just as Finnick and a female rabbit entered the room.

"Oh! Who is this?"

"I'm Judy Hopps. I've come to take my dad's place to repaid the debt."

"Oh… that's so sweet! Daddy can't object to this. Nothing is more important than family."

Judy smiled, "I love your hair by the way."

"Thank you! And you have such lovely eyes! I'm Fru-Fru, by the way!" she held out her paw and Judy used her finger so they can shake.

"Please to meet you."

"Come, I'll take you to Daddy."

* * *

Judy faced the desk where the shrew crime boss sat as he examined the bunny.

"So… you have come to take your father's place to repay the vase he broke?"

"Yes." she said without hesitation.

"That is truly noble…"

Fru-Fru smiled, "Isn't it, Daddy? I would have done the same for you…"

"Daddy knows, baby. Daddy knows…" He faced Judy, "Miss Hopps, you are allowed to stay to fix what your father has done. And since my daughter has taken a liking toward you, you shall serve her."

"I'll do what I can."

Fru-Fru said, "Let me show you to your room."

Once they left Mr. Big's office and went upstairs, Fru-Fru motioned, "I don't want to think of you as a servant. Instead, I want us to be best friends."

"I would like that."

"Take a left here."

They got to a room that was huge and fit for a princess.

"Oh, you have such a gorgeous room!" Judy exclaimed.

"Oh, no, this isn't my room. This is actually one of the many guest rooms we have in manor. No, this will be your room."

"My… my room?! Fru, I'm honored, but won't your dad get upset about a servant staying in here?"

"Daddy left you under my care, so I can choose how to accommodate those working for me."

"How is it possible you two are related?"

"Oh, I know Daddy can seem harsh, but once you get to know him and he gets to know you, he's a big softie. He has to act tough and cruel to keep his image up."

"That explains why he needs two foxes working for him…"

"Nicky and Finnick? Nick is an old friend of the family while Finnick is his partner. They came to work for Daddy when he offered them a large sum of money. That's how Daddy gets a lot of animals on his side."

Judy sighed, "I guess I'll be seeing a lot of him…"

"Who?"

"Nick Wilde."

"Have you two already met?"

"Yes, it was like this…" she told Fru-Fru of her encounter with the fox and her dream to be a police officer.

"Oh, but Nicky isn't so bad once you get to know him. Why don't you give him a second chance?"

Judy's ears drooped, "I'm not really sure I want to get to know him…"

Nick had been passing by when he overheard them. He swiftly made sure they didn't see him as he went down the steps.

He had a gloomy look on his face and thought, _Like I would want her to get to know me anyway… Besides, she won't be here forever, so there's no need to get chummy. Once the debt's been paid, she'll be gone and I never have to worry about seeing her again…_

* * *

Mr. Big had called in all of his associates and workers to his office that afternoon and Judy and Nick had exchanged brief hateful glances at each other before paying attention to the shrew.

"As you know, we have a new worker in our ranks. A Miss Judy Hopps, who was brave enough to take her father's place to serve out his debt to me. I admire Miss Hopps's guts and I ask you will treat her well while she's here. Is that clear?"

The polar bears responded, "Yes, Sir!"

Big eyed Nick and Finnick, "Boys…?"

"Whatever you say, boss." said the small fox.

"Yeah, Big… whatever you say…" Nick muttered and crossed his arms.

Big leaned to Fru-Fru and whispered, "What's wrong with Nicky?"

"I'm afraid he and Judy didn't get off on the right foot…"

"I see…" he addressed the bunny, "Welcome to the Big residence, Miss Hopps. I hope you'll come to feel at home here."

"Thank you, Mr. Big." but she thought as she glanced at Nick who was turned away from her, _But I'm not sure if this will ever feel like home to me…_


	5. Rivals and Rescue

Rivals and Rescue

Over the next few days, Judy managed to fit in with the rest of staff as she kept close to Fru-Fru, and for that, she was grateful. She didn't have to be anywhere near Nick Wilde as he was busy with his schemes that Mr. Big ordered him to carry out.

That thought made Judy smile, thinking that once she became a cop, she could arrest Nick for conning innocent animals. However, when she asked Finnick about how he and Nick were able to get away with their scams, he pointed out with Big's help, they had their bases covered and that no cop could catch them for it. Judy was disappointed that they were able to escape through the system.

She was in the kitchen getting a snack. She made a sandwich, but once her back was turned while getting a drink, she noticed that her sandwich was gone! She looked around for it when she heard a burp by the door.

"Excuse me," Nick wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Thanks for the sandwich, Fluff!" He made a dash for it as she glared on and gnashed her teeth.

* * *

"Hey, Fin, you seen my tie anywhere?" Nick was searching endlessly around the living room.

Finnick just stayed on the couch while playing at the guitar, "Nope." He kept on playing.

Nick was on all fours crawling, "Well, it couldn't have just gotten up and walked away-" Suddenly, the tie came in front of his face, but it was all dirty. He slowly looked up to see a grinning bunny.

"Looking for this? Yeah, I found it in the kitchen. Someone must have mistaken it for a dishrag, not that I blame them. It's so old that it might as well have been! Anyway, here it is." She tossed it over and he quickly caught it just as she hopped out of there.

Finnick was laughing his head off as he witnessed the whole scene. Nick just glared at him. _Oh, it's war now, Cottontail…_

* * *

Judy was busy rushing with the tiny laundry that she didn't see Nick hiding and slowly lifted his foot. She tripped over it and fell, causing the laundry to fall all over the place.

Nick came out of his hiding place, "Whoops, did _I_ do that?" He smirked and casually walked away, not seeing the hate burning in the bunny's eyes.

* * *

Judy asked Finnick when they were the recreation room, "So it's a bonus that Mr. Big gives out?"

"All I know is he gives out a bonus to the worker who's worked extra hard and Nick does an extra good job scamming that he manages to get the bonus."

Judy pondered on this. "I take it this bonus means a lot to Nick?"

"He likes getting cash he doesn't have to work hard for."

"I bet…" _Not only would earning the extra money help with my father's debt, but to rub it into Nick Wilde's face that he doesn't get to have the money he was expecting is an extra treat!_

And that's exactly what happened. When Big announced who earned the bonus, it was Judy who won it. She took great pleasure in seeing the fox's smirky expression go as he became flabbergasted.

"But… how… You haven't even been here that long!"

She smirked, "It's called a hustle, sweetheart." She gleefully hopped away.

* * *

When Fru-Fru was planning a party with her rodent girlfriends, Judy had to hurry with the decorations, only to find the supply closet was empty! She had to improvise and quickly. She started looking for other things that could work for decorations instead.

While she was searching around the house, she came across Nick, who was resting in a chair wearing sunglasses. He spotted her and lifted his shades down, "Lose something?"

She glared at him, "I don't know how you did it, but I just know you're responsible for the missing decorations!"

"It's called a hustle, sweetheart." he smirked, pushing his glasses back up and taking a load off.

She just huffed and went on her way.

* * *

It was like this for many days. She would win some and he would win some. They always found a way to up the other, convinced that they would never get along. Judy would spend sleepless nights trying to figure out how she could outsmart the fox the next day. Nick always figured out a plan for the rabbit before he went to sleep so he could feel well-rested to carry it out.

Fru-Fru was in a room with Finnick as she said, "There must be some way for those two to get along."

"Well, it's not like she'll fall in love in him and he'll fall in love with her, then poof! They live happily ever after!"

"Oh, Finnick, must you always be so grouchy? Besides, you know those things take time and there won't be a lot of that, because Daddy tells me Judy is working so hard that she's bound to pay off the debt soon!"

"Good. Then we don't have to worry about their squabbling any longer."

"They should at least part ways as friends, because I like Judy and I want her to visit often, but if she's constantly fighting with Nicky, then maybe she won't want to visit at all. You know how hard it is for me to visit the countryside. If any of Daddy's enemies find me, then they could kidnap me and use me as leverage against him!"

Finnick just acknowledged her words and sighed, "I'll talk to him."

The shrew smiled, "And I'll have a talk with Judy…"

They were about to leave the room when something came smashing through the window! Finnick saw the incoming brick, grabbed Fru-Fru in his paws, and ducked under the furniture. They could hear the polar bears running around, ready to counter-attack. Nick had ducked into the room and joined them.

"You guys alright?"

"We are." answered Fru. Then she asked, "What's happening?"

"It's an attack from your dad's rival gang."

"Which one?" asked Fin.

"Don't know. I didn't stick around to find out."

"Where's Judy?" Fru-Fru asked in concern.

"Who knows? But don't worry. She wouldn't be dumb enough to face those dangerous foes."

Suddenly, they heard a shout that sounded like Judy, "Hey! You better stop right now or else!"

"Then again…" Nick got up and muttered, "That rabbit is going to get us all killed…" He ran out of the room.

* * *

Judy had found a baseball bat that belong to Finnick as she stepped outside - feeling the snow beneath her feet - and got close to the gates. While it was true she had no formal training yet, she knew what was in her heart. She was determined to stop these creeps from causing any further harm.

"I'm warning you! You're trespassing on private property! So you better leave before things get serious!"

But when bricks and other heavy objects were thrown, she was about to use the bat to deflect them off. But something pulled her away and a voice harshly whispered.

"Are you crazy?! Coming out here all by yourself and with only a bat?! Those are dangerous criminals, Carrots!" Nick had managed to duck behind a large snow bank and was scowling at the reckless bunny.

"I'm only doing what needs to be done! If I become a police officer, I'm going to be in stuff like this all the time! Is it dangerous for me to this without training? Yes. But it's important to do the right thing even if it's risky."

"You really are crazy… No one's going to take a bunny seriously for a cop so why bother trying?"

"Because I'm determined to make the world a better place. When I was a kid, I saw my friends getting bullied over for their carnival tickets."

"Another rabbit was able to bully rabbits?"

"It… wasn't a rabbit…" her eyes glistened up to him.

His eyes widened and he slowly pointed to himself, "A fox…?"

She slowly nodded, "I had to stand up to him, but… he pushed me to the ground and…" She lifted her fur over her cheek, showing the three small scars.

Nick gaped at the healed wounds, and suddenly their first meeting made sense. Why she was so skittish and distasteful toward him… If a fox had clawed her when she was kid, then… His eyes bulged at the revelation and turned toward her, "I can't believe I'm about to say this… We actually have something in common…"

Her own eyes widened, "We… we do?"

He deeply sighed, "When I was a kit, I was about to join the Junior Ranger Scouts as its first predator… but once I finished taking the oath… they… they muzzled me…"

Judy covered her mouth in shock.

He kept speaking, "They viewed me as an untrustworthy fox, and so I made a vow that no one will see they get to me… I figured that if they want an untrustworthy fox, might as well be one…"

"Nick… I had no idea…"

"Well, that makes us even. I had no idea you had such scarred past. Literally." He tried to lighten the mood.

That did make her giggle a little.

Suddenly, a loud thump reminded them they were still in the middle of a battle field between two mob gangs. But once Mr. Big's polar bear guards started shooting tranquilizer darts, the opposing gangsters retreated. Once Mr. Big's gang knew it was safe, they headed back inside.

Finnick was still holding Fru-Fru when they knew the danger had passed. They saw Nick and Judy coming back inside. Finnick mentioned, "Get ready for a big argument…"

Fru-Fru just sighed, but as the two mammals got closer, they were surprised at what they were seeing! The fox and rabbit seemed to be actually holding a friendly conversation!

"That really was sweet of you to come after me like that…" Judy smiled.

"Yeah, well, at the time, I didn't know what I was thinking, but I'm glad I did it anyway…" he smiled back her.

She smirked and nudged him, "You're such a sly fox."

He smirked in return and nudged back, "And you're such a dumb bunny."

They laughed as they rounded the corner, leaving a flabbergasted Fru-Fru and Finnick.

The small fox slowly pointed, "What. Just. Happened?"

Fru-Fru's smile grew wider and wider.


	6. Something There

Something There

Judy was skipping around the household, feeling so happy in a long time since she first got there. Things were turning around for her and Nick. They opened up to each other more, realizing just how alike they really were this whole time. She started to wonder where he was at until she spotted him and Finnick making a pizza in the kitchen.

"Hey, Fin, check this out!" Nick, wearing a chef hat and apron, held his pizza dough up in the air as it kept spinning. But it started going too fast and it ended up splattering on the window.

Judy came in then, "Had the window been a stove, the pizza would have been perfect!"

Nick turned to her with a mock-annoyed look, "Must you always look on the bright side of things?"

"Yes." she smirked. "And it looks like you could use some help. Pass me those vegetables."

"You mean the carrots and peppers?"

"Please and thank you." Then she noticed the fennec fox was leaving, "You're leaving, Finnick?"

"You two can handle this. Just let me know when the pizza's done." He left.

"You heard him, Carrots. Let's get cooking!" he started spinning another piece of dough.

She was cutting the carrots as she asked, "So, have you had much experience cooking?"

"Sure. When you live on your own, one has to feed themselves. What's your excuse?"

"Well, when you grow up with over a hundred of siblings, everyone has to do their part."

"That sounds like a lot of mouths to feed. No wonder your dad told Mr. Big he had to support his family."

"Just how did he break that vase? Dad didn't tell me."

"He saw me coming in the room and accidently bumped into it. Kind of reminds me of how we met, me showing up out of nowhere and you jumping out of your fur…" he smirked.

She rebuked, "I was just too distracted by the surroundings to see you coming."

"Yeah, right. I totally snuck up on you."

With a sly grin on her face, she said as she slowly approached him, "You mean… like this!" she tickled his sides, causing his dough to fly up in the air and landed on his face.

She laughed away while Nick wiped the dough off. He gave off an amused smile and eyed the table, "You know, you forgot something, Carrots."

"What?"

He quickly grabbed for the bag of flour and poured it over her, making him laugh.

With a determined smile on her face, she reached for the carrots she was cutting and threw them at him, causing a food fight between them.

"What is the meaning of this?!" someone yelled and they turned to see Big at the door in Kevin's paws.

Nick and Judy stopped what they were doing and faced the shrew.

"Sir! We're sorry! We'll clean it all up!" Judy spoke up.

"We?" Nick questioned, but received a hard nudge from the bunny, "I mean… we will!"

"See that you do…" the crime boss said, "And when I come back, I expect this place to be spotless!" He snapped his fingers and Kevin took him out of the room.

"Here." she handed the fox a mop. "You do the floors and I'll do the counter." She found a rag and said, "By the way… sorry about your tie…"

"Nah, don't be. It was time to get a new one anyway. You actually did me a favor." he smirked.

She rolled her eyes, getting that he was just fooling around with her. "The least I can do is get you a new one."

"Well… as long as you are offering… Think you can find a dark purple one to match your eyes?"

Judy blushed as she faced away from him. She didn't know why, but that was one of the sweetest things anybody had ever said to her, let alone a predator. She figured he was joking, but it was still a charming thing to say. She faced him again to see the sad smile on his face.

"And as long as we apologizing here, let me just say how sorry I am for mocking you about taking your dad's place… That… truly was an amazing thing you did. Not a lot of mammals are willing to do something like that."

"Well… what else could I do? My dad needed to stay home with my mom and brothers and sisters. And I love my father so much that I couldn't bear for him to away from them for so long."

"And yet you can live with yourself to be apart from them…"

"It's good practice, for all of us. I was going to leave for the academy anyway, and eventually live in Zootopia."

"Not to rain on your parade, but how can you be so positive that you'll even make it? Yes, I know I've told you this before, but I'm being a bit nicer about it now."

"How can you be a bit nicer about it if it seems you're crushing my hopes and dreams?"

"I'm just trying to help you realize you can't set the standards high. Remember what I told you when that gang attacked us? That was just the beginning of crushing disappointments in my life and I'm warning you now to not think that you'll actually get what you want."

A sad smile crept on her face as she wrapped a paw around his shoulders, causing him to be confused by this closeness. "I appreciate you looking out for me like that, but I do know that if you don't try, how would I know I could truly do it or not…? What you, my parents, and countless of others have told me is true. I can't expect that my dream job will be handed to me just like that. I know I need to earn it first."

"It's more than earning, Judy… Animals won't see you as a cop, but just some bunny that's in over her head… Remember how I reacted to you telling me you wanted to be an officer? I can guarantee others will have the same reaction or scoff you off altogether."

Her eyes widened to this new info, "Is it really that bad here? Animals are judged by their ancient pasts or their appearance?"

"Pretty much. I've seen it happen. Heck, it has happened to me more than once." He slightly frowned as if he was remembering those encounters of mammals eyeing him distrustfully or whispering hurtful comments that they thought he wouldn't hear but did.

"But… I was taught that in Zootopia, you can be anything you want to be…"

He scoffed, "So they want us to believe… It's not true, not in the slightest."

"But… it could be… We just need someone to take the first step…"

"Why do I get the feeling I just made you more determined than ever to be a cop?"

She smirked, "And you have no one to blame but yourself. Before, I wanted to be a police officer to help others, but now, I can see a greater need. It's time let go of biases and discrimination and let us all live in harmony."

He sighed and gave a sad grin, "If only it were that simple, Carrots…"

"Well, we can worry about this discussion later. Right now, we need to get back to work, or else Mr. Big comes back to see the mess still here… and I don't think I need to tell you what he'll do to us."

"Of course." he stated and started mopping at a fast pace as she smiled and began wiping just as fast.

* * *

Judy stared out the window of her room, sighing. She had just finished her workload for the day and she felt bored. She had been cooped up in the manor for so long that she didn't know what to do. She had listened to her favorite songs by her favorite singer Gazelle on her I-pod for a gazillionth time at this point and it was getting to be rather dull. She didn't want to go the rec room, knowing she had already played everything in there. Finnick always watched the TV, and to the change the channel on him would be very bad. She had already explored every inch of the house and Fru-Fru was on a date, so she couldn't talk to her. Judy just slumped and watched the snow falling.

Nick was whistling a cheerful tune as he was passing Judy's room. He said, "Hey, Carrots!" He moved on, but then stopped, realizing the bunny wasn't her jovial self and greeted him back. He slowly moved back to look inside to see she was staring at the window in a gloomy mood. "Carrots? You okay?"

She turned to him, "Oh, sorry, Nick. I didn't see you there…"

"What's wrong?"

She sighed, "I guess I'm just feeling bored… I've been here for about two months now, and I find that I've done everything in this house! I don't know what to do."

Nick ended up staring at the window to see the snow was letting up. An idea occurred to him, "Well, no wonder! You're a rabbit. You need consistent movement to keep you going! And I know just how you can do that!" He grabbed for her paw and led her out the room.

"Nick! What are we doing?!" she asked him as they ran down the stairs.

"You'll see…" he smirked.

* * *

A snowball hit him on the head as she laughed loudly. He was ready for a rebound as he patted the snowball together and quickly threw it at her, but she dodged it, thanks to those feet of hers that he was starting to curse. But once he saw how happy she was now compared to a half-hour ago, he didn't care he missed.

Judy was so grateful for this as she felt free moving around outside instead of staying inside feeling constricted. When he told her to put on something warm, she was confused by what he meant until he led her outside and started a snowball fight with her.

"I win!" she shouted in triumph.

"Can I help it I'm such a big target?" he joked. "You had the size advantage."

"Aw, is the foxy jealous he couldn't be smaller than me?"

"I wouldn't say jealous. More like envious…"

"It's the same thing."

"Not so. Jealousy involves a rival, envy is something someone wants. See? Two totally different things."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, Mister Know-It-All Fox."

He mocked bowing, "Thank you, thank you. I try my best."

She couldn't help it and giggled.

Meanwhile, a shrew crime boss was looking out his window and saw the whole scene. A smile came on his lips, "Well… Whoever guessed they'd come together on their own…?"


	7. Day Off

Day Off

The entire household was buzzing with excitement. Fru-Fru had announced her engagement a couple of days ago and Mr. Big was preparing an engagement party for his little girl, causing everyone to work extra hard. The dining hall was looking beautiful and Judy was jumping around to string the lights. Fru-Fru was on the table as she exclaimed.

"Oh, those are perfect! Thank you so much, Judy!"

"It's nothing. I wanted to do this…" she came closer to the shrew, "I can't believe you're getting married."

"I can't believe it either, but I have been waiting for this moment for so long… I've been dreaming of having the right shrew to be my husband and the perfect wedding to go with it."

"Me, too…" the bunny grinned.

"But I thought you wanted to be a police officer?"

"I do, but I also dream of finding the one for me and have that wedding… But I do want to be a cop first before having all that."

Fru gave a loving sigh and stared at her diamond ring, "Daddy was pleased at how big it was, but honestly, size should not matter when you're in love with someone…"

Judy chuckled, "That reminds me of how Nick and I had that snowball fight and he was upset that with my size, I was able to avoid his snowballs…"

Fru-Fru slyly grinned, "You and Nicky have been getting along better these past few weeks… I wonder, could it be possible you're… attracted to him?"

Judy's eyes widened at what Fru was saying and ended up blushing while shouting, "No! I mean… we're just friends! We… couldn't…" But she was feeling so flustered that she couldn't get the words out.

"Oh, Judy! You can tell me anything!" Fru insisted.

"I… I don't know what's going on, Fru… Because now that you mention it… I do see Nick as… well, handsome…"

The shrew giddily squealed.

Judy casted a worried look, "But, Fru, is that even normal? A rabbit thinking a fox is handsome?"

"Oh, Judy…" she grabbed for the bunny's finger and patted it, "Does it matter? We have come a long way since those dark days. If you truly find Nicholas Wilde as attractive as you believe he is, then why doubt yourself? Isn't that what you've been telling me as you looked forward to training at the police academy? How you didn't want listen to the mammals that thought you weren't going to make it? This is the exact same thing…"

The bunny's mouth gaped in surprise. Everything the shrew just said was true. Here she was looking forward to be a cop when the rest of the world was telling her "no", but she didn't listen, so why should she worry if she was having strange feelings toward the fox? _I should at least see if something more happens between us… After all, we didn't like each other at first, but once we found out we had something in common, everything just fell into place…_

She found herself saying, "It's so new and alarming, but I won't let that scare me to discover something wonderful…"

Fru-Fru smiled, _Love usually is…_ She said, "Good for you! Now come, I must choose the floral arrangements for the party."

Judy held her paws out as Fru climbed into them.

They were in the manor's greenhouse where they found Mr. Otterton trimming the many flowers growing in the conservatory. Emmitt Otterton owned a floral shop and Mr. Big was his best customer, not to mention he was an old friend. Big allowed him to take some of the flowers that grew in his greenhouse, and in return, Emmitt would help with flower arrangements to decorate around the house.

Judy loved talking to him whenever he came to visit. They would exchange stories about their families and Emmitt made a promise that once Judy repaid the debt, she would get to meet his wife and kids since according to him, she would get along well with his wife. From what she heard about Mrs. Otterton, she believed him to be correct.

The otter saw them, "Hello, Judy! Miss Fru-Fru! And congratulations on your engagement!"

"Thank you…" Fru cooed.

"I found some flowers that might be appropriate for the party, but I want your approval."

Judy said, "I'm sure whatever you picked would be good enough."

Emmitt held out the samples and Fru examined them. She finally pointed to the primroses and declared, "These are the ones. Once again, dear Emmitt, your expertise on flowers saves the day…"

"That's very kind of you to say, Miss Fru-Fru…" he sadly smiled, "You're just like your mother…"

"Oh, thank you for saying that…" She started to cry a little while Judy handed her a tiny tissue. "Mama would be so happy now and she would have started on wedding preparations at this point."

Judy motioned, "I'm sure your mother would be very proud of you…"

Fru hugged her finger.

* * *

Nick and Finnick were in Big's office, discussing the latest scam for tomorrow.

Big firmly said, "Now remember, I don't want anything to go wrong. With Fru-Fru engaged now, I must make sure to stay around for the wedding. If you get caught, I will not bail you out."

"You're all heart, boss…" Nick muttered.

"Make the delivery to the club and keep your eyes open for both cops and my enemies."

Finnick rolled his eyes since it wasn't a concern to him.

Nick pondered on this. With Fru-Fru's upcoming engagement party, Judy had been able to keep busy, but eventually, it would be over and she would get bored again. He couldn't stand seeing the bunny being glum again. She needed to get out more. "You know, if you're worried about us being spotted, we could use an extra pair of eyes to keep watch."

"What are you suggesting?" the boss asked.

"Yeah, what are you suggesting?" the fennec fox questioned.

"You know, Judy has been in your manor for over three months now. She deserves a day off."

Big mulled over this, "Hmm… She's has proven herself a hardworking employee. In fact, it might be time to check on her process where the debt is concerned, but yes, she should have a day off."

"Great, I'll tell her myself." Nick left without being dismissed.

Finnick eyed the boss to see if he was offended. Instead, he was surprised to find the shrew was smiling.

* * *

Nick managed to locate her in the dining hall with Emmitt and Fru-Fru as they were busy setting up the flowers. They didn't see him as he heard them talking.

"The missus has been wondering when she'll get the chance to meet you too. From what I kept telling her, she has been looking forward to seeing you."

"I wish I can tell you when, but even I'm not sure when Mr. Big will let me go."

Nick knew that was his cue, "What if you had a day off?"

They turned to him in surprise, but Judy ended up smiling once she saw him and rushed over.

"A day off? How?"

He smirked, "It's all been taken care of. I told Big you should be given a day off and he agreed."

Her eyes lit up, "Did he really?!"

He chuckled, "He did. So… how would you like to come with me and Finnick to see the rest of Zootopia?"

"Would I?! Of course, I would!" In one leap, she wrapped around him in a bone-crushing hug.

Nick gave a slight yelp, but he gave in and found himself liking the embrace, maybe a bit too much… He felt his cheeks going hot until she let him go, acting giddy and hopping around in excitement when she faced Emmitt.

"I can finally meet your family and they can meet me! This is so incredible!"

Fru-Fru commented, "See? I told you Daddy was a big softie."

They kept talking, but Nick didn't hear them. He was too busy thinking about the hug Judy gave him and why it made him feel the way it did. His heart was racing for some reason and he couldn't stop thinking about Judy. _What is going on here…? It was just one little hug and yet… why did it feel like it meant something more than that?_

* * *

Judy had her face pressed against the window of the limo. Nick and Finnick were sitting next to her as the taller fox was smirking in amusement of seeing her so excited while the smaller fox gave no emotion. The bunny could see the Zootopia skyscrapers coming into view as Manchas drove them out of cold, snowy Tundra Town and into the hot, sunny Sahara Square. They drove around for a bit as Judy marveled at the sights of busy mammals going about their day and the businesses being active.

"Judy… take a look on your left…" Nick pointed.

She did and there it was… Zootopia's Police Department… She could see officers were getting ready for the day at hand to do assignments or patrols… A smile curdled on her lips and thought, _One day… it'll happen… I just know it._ She turned back to the fox, thanking him for bringing that to her attention.

He merely replied, "Hey, I've stopped trying to get you to not be a cop. Might as well go along with it."

She just smiled and leaned closer to him, causing him to feel that strange warmth he felt when she gave that hug. He still didn't have any idea why it happened, but he wasn't going to question how good it felt and let it be.

Manchas then stopped at an apartment building, and Judy got out, knowing this was where the Ottertons resided. She quickly looked back at the foxes and Nick said, "We'll pick you up at four. Big wants us back at six."

"Gotcha. See you then." She smiled once more before the limo drove on.

Finnick questioned his colleague, "I thought you told Big that Judy could keep a look-out for us?"

"Ah, but Big doesn't know Judy wants to be a cop and you know she doesn't like what we do every day, so why drag her into it? It's better this way."

The fennec fox shrugged, "Works for me. I could care less so long as we get what we deserve."

* * *

Judy spent the day with the family of otters and became instant friends with Mrs. Otterton just as she and Emmitt thought she would. The children were in their room now playing while Emmitt was watching the news, leaving Judy and Mrs. Otterton to chat in the kitchen.

"My dear, have any bunnies at home asked you out?"

"No. But there is one hare named Harold who came close. He didn't think I heard him, but we rabbits have excellent hearing. I guess he forgot about that. He was telling me that he knew other hares that would be lucky to have a hardworking rabbit such as me for a wife, but he also added lovely to the sentence, telling me he was including himself with those hares."

"He most certainly was. That's a pick-up line if I ever have heard one, which of course I have…" She smiled and glanced toward the living room, seeing Emmitt still being busy watching the news. "My Emmitt was quite the pick-up artist…"

Judy mischievously grinned, "Was he really?"

The otter giggled, "He was. And as for this suitor of yours… Do you think you could have any feelings toward him?"

Judy blushed, "Well… I… I haven't spent much time with him versus having to spend time with someone else…"

"Ahh… So, you might actually love someone else?"

"Well, I don't know… I might… but it's kind of complicated…" Judy started shuffling her feet, "I've had this conversation with a friend of mine, but maybe a second opinion would help…"

"You can tell me anything, and I can promise to never repeat it."

"That means a lot. Thank you…" She took a deep breath, "It has come to my attention that I might have certain feelings for this mammal, who's not the same species as me…"

Mrs. Otterton's eyes widened in understanding, asking, "What species is he instead?"

"A fox." she bashfully admitted.

"Really? Well, I can see how unconventional that must be, but in my experiences of falling for someone, you should never deny your feelings."

"I don't care of what the world would think, but I do care about what he thinks… What if he doesn't feel the same way I do?" Judy had a concerned look, feeling genuinely scared of the answer.

The otter took Judy's hand, "My dear, I'm afraid you're just going to ask him yourself… You won't know until you tell him how you feel."

The bunny was about to respond until a rapid knock came at the door. Emmitt got up to open it, seeing the two foxes rushing in and panting as if they had been running a marathon.

Judy rushed to them, "Nick! Finnick! What happened to you?!"

Fin glared to the red fox, "Ask. Him!"

"Hey! We were in the clear until those coyotes tried grab us!"

"What coyotes?!" Judy questioned.

Nick answered, "One of Big's rival gangs…"

"Was it the same gang that attacked us at the manor?"

"No, totally different gang… Maybe..." he panted again. "Think maybe we can get some water?"

Judy hopped up, "Oh, right! Sorry!" She rushed back to the kitchen where Mrs. Otterton held two glasses of cold water. Judy got back to the foxes sitting on the floor and handed Finnick a glass, but helped Nick with the liquid as she held to the glass to his mouth. Once he drank the whole thing, he gave a sigh of relief and complained.

"I can drink by myself, you know."

"You looked too weak to even hold the glass…"

Finnick gave off a scoff, while behind Judy, Mrs. Otterton was smiling, putting the pieces together about who the fox was Judy admired.

Judy continued speaking, "Now tell me the whole story."

Nick responded, "Well, it's not much to say. Manchas dropped us off for us to do our errand for Mr. Big when suddenly, a pack of coyotes started cornering us and we had to run for our lives. We've managed to dodge them for a bit until they found us again and we had to run here."

Emmitt questioned, "Do you still have the information?"

Finnick pulled out an envelope, "Right here."

"We were supposed to drop that off at The Mystic Spring Oasis club." Nick added.

"What's that? A casino?" Judy asked and saw everyone in the room giving uncomfortable looks.

Nick replied, "Not quite, Carrots…"

Emmitt mentioned, "It's a club for naturalists."

"Meaning?"

Nick leaned into her ear and whispered it to her. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth in shock, then yelling out.

"Say what?!"

Nick shook his head in amusement, "Definitely a place you don't want to go to, Fluff."

"Well… I'm going to have to… seeing how the coyotes know about your rendezvous and the errand you have to do. But if I deliver the envelope instead, they would never guess a bunny doing it."

It was actually the first time she had seen Finnick smiling, "Uh…Good idea."

But Nick looked concerned, "You sure you want to do this? When you get there, Carrots, I can't promise it'll be a pleasant experience for you."

"I'll be in for unpleasant experiences when I join the force, anyway. Why should this be any different?"

"All right, but don't say I didn't warn you…"

She smiled, "Your warning is plenty."

Mr. Otterton raised his hand, "I'll come with you. You need someone to show you where it's at."

* * *

They were outside the building as Emmitt made a most disturbing confession to Judy.

"You've been here?! And you're a regular member?!"

Emmitt slightly frowned, "Don't tell my wife. But whenever I feel stress out, I come here for yoga exercises. It helps a great deal. Is it an ideal place for yoga lessons? Maybe not. But it's a nice place all the same."

Judy looked at the building and took a breath, _Here goes nothing…_ They then went inside.

Emmitt greeted the yak behind the counter while Judy did her best to keep from looking at the unclothed yak.

 _Told you so…_ she could hear Nick's smirky grin of a comment in her head. _Shut up, I know, I know…_ she had to tell herself. Even when he wasn't here, she could feel his presence.

"Hey, Emmitt! Good to see you!" the yak said.

"Good to see you too, Yax." Emmitt greeted.

"Here for another yoga session?"

"Not today. My friend and I have business to take care of."

"Go right ahead, then." He led them to a door and it opened, revealing a large garden area where there were several mammals undressed.

Judy did her best to cover her shock, but it couldn't be helped.

Once they found the mammal they had to pass the envelope to, Judy hightailed out of there. Luckily, Manchas was waiting for them and drove them away.

* * *

Once they had dropped Emmitt off and picked up Nick and Finnick, they headed back to Tundra Town. Nick noticed Judy was so quiet and distracted, so he asked.

"Couldn't handle it?"

She slowly turned to face him, "I thought I could… but what I saw today… there are no words to describe it…"

He smirked, "There are words for it. It's just a matter of using them."

She gave an exasperated look, "Yes, thank you. I'm well aware…"

He chuckled and in an unexpected move, he wrapped his paw around her waist and moved her closer to him, causing her to blush but also making her smile.

* * *

Mr. Big scowled at the report he was given by the foxes, but once Nick explained that thanks to Judy's assistance, they were able to get the envelope passed on after all.

The shrew smiled at the rabbit, "Well done, Miss Hopps. You'll find an extra reward in your payment this week."

Judy beamed at the news, "Thank you, Sir."

"Now on to more important matters, my daughter's engagement party is tomorrow, and I expect you all to be there. Nicholas, you will be Miss Hopps's escort."

"Huh?!" both rabbit and fox exclaimed.

"You heard me, and you will not disobey this order or else…"

"Got it, boss." Nick said.

"If you say so." Judy replied.

The shrew just grinned.


	8. The Dance

_**AN: I like to think the song during the dance is**_ **So Close _from_ Enchanted.**

* * *

The Dance

Nick was busy trying to tie his bow tie in front of the mirror of his bedroom, while Finnick sat on the bed, all ready dressed up and was reading a magazine.

"I can't believe Big wants me to escort Judy when we're both capable of going by ourselves."

"I thought he was doing you a favor."

"Favor? What are you talking about?" he faced his partner in crime with confusion.

"Please. It's so obvious, Nick. You got a thing for the bunny."

"Say what?!"

"I'm surprise you haven't confessed your love for her yet."

"Love?! Where did that come from? Judy and I… We're just friends!"

Finnick merely said, "Uh-huh… so you keep telling yourself…"

"Come on, Fin, a rabbit and a fox?! You know it can't be done even if I do have… certain feelings for her…" he rubbed his neck in uncertainty.

"Nick, what does it matter if you're a different species? If you really care for the girl, then you should let her know!"

Nick slowly turned back to the mirror and suddenly, events of the last few days played out in his head, recalling all he and Judy did and how he felt about them… He put his paw over his beating heart and uttered, "Oh… my…" He mumbled the last word and turned back to the fennec fox, who was grinning.

"But how can I tell her? What if she doesn't feel that way about us?"

"Honestly, Nick, I've been watching you two get closer each day. Somehow, I think she does feel the same way as you…"

"You really think so?!" Nick sounded hopeful.

"I really think so."

"But how can you be so sure?"

He shrugged, "I don't, but you really should ask her."

"I don't know if I can…"

"Nick, I know you had a hard life as it is, but knowing for sure the girl returns your feelings would make it better."

"It's more than that, Fin… I've had so many disappointments in my life, but if she doesn't feel the way I do about her, then… I think my world would be completely broken. I'll be shattered with what's left of me…"

"Whoa… you feel that strongly about her?"

"It's crazy, Fin, but yes… When she first came to the manor, I never thought we would get along the way we do now… But it's become more than that… I never felt this way toward anyone before."

"Nick, I know it seems I'm pushing you, but you know she won't be here much longer. She has to know before she goes…"

"I know you're right, but it's just so hard to take the plunge."

"It's now or never, Nick," the small fox helped tie his friend's bow tie.

Nick exhaled as he quickly checked the mirror and went out.

* * *

"You look so beautiful!" Judy gushed over Fru, who was wearing a frilly pink gown.

"Thank you!" Fru-Fru twirled in her dress. "I just hope he thinks so, too."

"Oh, he will!"

The shrew smiled, "Now it's your turn to get ready. After all, with Nicky being your escort…"

"Why do I get the feeling you had something to do with that?"

"I didn't! I don't know why Daddy insists you two to be paired up tonight, but I had nothing to do with it!"

"Huh. So, um… what do you think I should wear?" She walked over to the closet with many gowns inside.

"It all depends on what tonight will bring… Like are you going to confess to Nicky your deepest thoughts of how you feel about him?"

"Well…" she blushed, "I don't know… I want to, but I feel unsure."

"Then we just need to find the right dress to boost your confidence!" She spotted a golden strapless dress in the back of the closet and pointed, "Like that one!"

Judy saw it and pulled it out. She exclaimed, "Fru… it's perfect!"

* * *

Nick walked up to the door and was trying to keep calm, _Okay, Wilde. You can do this… You can do this… You're just going to escort Judy to the party, ask her to a dance, and then tell her how you feel… That's all there's to it… But then why do I feel so sick to my stomach?_ He took a breath and knocked on the door. _Just keep calm. Don't panic… Don't panic… Don't-_

He lost all train of thought when he saw her walking out the room. She looked more beautiful than all the times he had seen her. She still had those lovely amethyst eyes, but for some reason, they were sparkling tonight. She had a touch of makeup on her face, but it just amplified her beauty more, almost blinding him.

Judy was just as awestruck by the fox's nicely pressed tuxedo, and he seemed to be well-groomed while his emerald eyes shone. He was even more handsome than the other times she saw him.

The two remained staring at the other until a shout came from downstairs.

Finnick yelled out, "You two coming or what?"

That helped snapped them out of their trance with Nick bowing, "May I escort you this evening?"

She curtsied, "It would be my honor." She took his arm as he led her down to the party.

* * *

Fru-Fru and her fiancé danced on the large table as everyone watched on.

When the engaged couple were done with the first dance, they invited everyone to dance. The rodent band started playing nice slow romantic music.

Nick and Judy turned to each other, both of them asking, "Would you like to dance?" Realizing what they said, they chuckled and both said, "Yes." They took to the dance floor and started into a slow waltz. They gazed into each other's eyes and could not look away. The music kept playing on for them as others watched them dance, but the ones who were most happy were Fru, Mr. Big, and Finnick, knowing this was going to happen.

When the music began to die down, they couldn't let go of each other. Everyone in the room applauded at them. But the rabbit and fox didn't acknowledge them as they were in their own world at the moment. Once upbeat music began to play, they became aware of their surroundings and Nick softly said.

"Come with me…" he led her to glass doors that led to a balcony.

To Judy, this reminded her of when he took her outside in the snow, making her feel so excited about what he had planned.

They found a bench to sit on and in the distance, they could see Zootopia's skyscrapers' bright lights.

 _This is it… Tell her…_

 _This is it… Tell him…_

But they remained silent as doubts crept into their heads, preventing them from saying anything to each other.

Then Nick finally spoke, "Judy… I, um, I was wondering…"

"Yes?" her eyes gleamed in hope.

"Are you… are you…" he sighed, "Are you happy here? With me?"

Judy gave a bright smile, "Yes. Yes, I am…"

He smiled in return, _Okay… good… good start…_

Judy thought, _He asked if I was happy with him… Could it be…? Can he really feel what I feel?_ Her hopes were rising by the second. But then her thoughts dwelled on her family and how long she had been away from them. She had been able to video-chat, telling her parents she was all right and was working hard to repay the debt, but she worried that she would never repay Mr. Big enough and she would be stuck where she was at.

 _Alright, let's take it easy, Wilde… and try not to puke… It's a big step, asking the girl you like if she likes you back if not more…_ He turned back to Judy, only to see a sad look on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked in concern.

"I just… I've been here for a while now, and I knew I would be away from my family, but I suddenly feel I might never see them again… What if I never get out of here to see them or to live out my dreams?" she was on the verge of tears.

"Do you want me to ask Big of how much you still have to repay?"

"Would you?"

He held her paws, "For you… anything…"

* * *

When the party was over, Nick was in Big's office when he asked.

"How much work does Judy still have to do for you to repay the debt?"

"Actually, she's done."

"What?"

"I checked last night. She has already repaid her father's debt a couple of weeks ago. Never had I had such a devoted hard worker."

"But if she's already repaid the debt to you, then why haven't you let her go?"

"Because of you, my boy."

"Me?" the fox was completely taken aback by this information.

"Yes, because I have not seen you this happy in a long time… And if this bunny brings you that happiness, then I'm compelled to give it to you…"

Nick was gobsmacked until he spoke in a sad tone, "But how can I be happy knowing you're keeping her prisoner for my sake? I want her to live her dreams… That's something I never had…"

"Would you like to be the one to tell her?"

"Yes. Yes, I would." he quickly left the room.

* * *

Judy was wearing her bathrobe and getting ready for bed when a rapid knock came at her door. Nick came in without permission, but since Judy could see the sad look in his eyes, he didn't need it.

"You're free." he uttered.

"What?" she gasped.

"You did it. You paid him back."

Joy flowed through her, but a sadness also took place in her heart. She stared at Nick. How was it possible when she first came here she couldn't wait to get away from him, but now…? She felt she couldn't leave him.

Nick could see she was conflicted in the matter and thought, _Believe me… This is going to hurt me more than you…_ he approached her and they sat on the bed.

"This is all so sudden. I didn't think I would make enough, but to find that I actually did it…"

"And I want you to remember that when you go to the academy and when you get in the ZPD…"

She covered her mouth in surprise, "Who are you and what have you done with Nicholas Wilde?"

He released a small chuckle, "That's one of the things I'll miss about you, Carrots: your humor. Even your laughter when you laughed at my bad puns…"

"I could never forget your dry sense of humor. That's one your best qualities. But you're also fun, loyal, caring, and ever the gentlefox you are. Others may not see you as trustworthy, but _I_ do."

His mouth gaped when he heard that last part, "Do… do you really…?"

"I do. I would trust with my life…"

Nick was awed what he was hearing. He wanted to tell her then how he felt, but it would make the separation even harder - if not awkward - if she didn't see him as more than a friend after all. It was better to keep it this way.

Judy was thinking the same thing. As much as she wanted to tell him, she didn't want to ruin this moment.

"And… I trust you with mine…"

She let out a cry and hugged him as he returned it. She was crying in his chest while he was trying hard not to let the tears escape. Once they let go and he handed her a tissue, he lifted her chin.

"Go. Live your dreams, Judy Hopps. Show the world what you're made of… Get in the force and show them what a good damn cop you can be…" With that, he quickly ran out of the room, no longer able to hold in the tears.

* * *

The next morning, Judy packed up her suitcase and said her goodbyes to the mammals she got to know. She let out a few tears when saying farewell to Fru. Fru was crying in a tissue as they agreed to call each other whenever they got the chance. She said goodbye to Finnick and was surprise to see the usually-angry fox looking sad. She said.

"This is a side I never seen from you…"

"Yeah, well… I have feelings like everyone else… You take care of yourself, Judy…"

"Thank you, Fin…" she crouched down and gave him a hug. He didn't put up a fight. Once she let go, she asked, "Where's Nick?"

"In his room. He told me to tell you goodbye…"

While it pained her that she couldn't see Nick one last time, she turned to her temporary employer she served for over three months.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay for my father."

"You have only to thank but yourself, Judy. You have repaid what has been broken. You were more than a servant. You were a good mammal who brought light into this household."

She smiled at the compliment.

"You are welcomed in this house any time you wish to visit."

"Thank you, Mr. Big. That means a great deal to me. I promise to come visit whenever I can…"

"Good. Very good. Farewell then, Judy Hopps."

She nodded and grabbed for her suitcase and took one last look at the place she lived in and the friends she made. She then went out as Mr. Manchas held the limo door for her just like the first day she came here. She got in and the limo drove away, but she kept looking back, and to her luck, a fox was at a window watching her go.

Nick saw the limo disappearing past the gates and he knew then she was gone. Before he could stop the words from escaping his mouth, they were too quick for him as his emotions were running away from him.

"I love you, Judy Hopps… I love you…"


	9. The Void

The Void

As happy as she was to be back home and prepare for leaving for the academy, she found that she couldn't enjoy it as much as before her father was forced to repay a debt to a shrew crime boss. Her parents noticed the change in their daughter because she mostly sulked around the house. Even the neighbors noticed that the once-cheery Judy Hopps who would always greet them with a smile would just drive on in her truck looking mopey.

Mr. Longfoot was the only one brave enough to ask her why she was like this when she stopped by his house one afternoon, "Judy? Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, Mr. Longfoot… I'm… fine…" But even she wasn't so sure about that. For every day that passed, the ache in her heart grew.

"Your parents told me how you were very brave to take your father's place to repay that shrew. They begged all the neighbors to not tell their younglings because they didn't want them to know their sister was trapped to serve the crime boss."

"I know, we had to tell them that I was back from the academy for a break, but I would be going back soon, which will be the truth since I'll be going this time…"

"You don't seem very thrilled… I can recall a very excited Judy Hopps that couldn't wait to leave so she could fulfill her dreams."

"It's still my dream, but… I don't know. I feel like something is missing…"

"Or… is it someone?"

Judy glanced down, unable to meet the older rabbit's eyes.

"So that's it… you miss someone dearly…"

She started weeping in her paws. "It hurts to be apart from him! But the last thing he told me was to go live my dreams! I want to do that, but I can't!" she crouched down in sorrow while Mr. Longfoot patted her back.

"There now. Let it all out…"

"Judy!" Harold rushed in, "Are you all right?"

"She just misses someone she cares for deeply…" Longfoot replied.

"What?!" Harold accidently yelled out and softened his tone, "I mean… I'm so sorry, Judy…"

"I'll go get some water for her. Think you can keep an eye on her, Harold?"

"Of course, Mr. Longfoot. Please."

Once the elderly rabbit went inside, Harold crouched down to Judy's level.

"So… who's the lucky rabbit?"

She looked up to him in disbelief, "Seriously, Harold? That's all you can think of? How someone holds a place in my heart and it's not you?"

"I'm just trying to understand who it is you could have possibly met while you were trapped in that awful place."

"It wasn't awful. I didn't like how my father was threatened to come work there, but once I got there myself, I met so many good mammals and I learned so much."

"And by mammals, did you meet other hares?"

Judy scowled and got up, "Why should that matter? We're past being prey, and predators are nothing like their ancestors."

His eyes widened at that statement, figuring out what she meant, "Oh, no… Judy, you can't be serious! What will your parents say?!"

"They can say anything they want. They supported my decision to be a cop to an extent, but when it comes to falling in love, I'm willing to ignore their apprehensions."

"Your parents told me there were foxes there! Is it one of them?!"

"I'm not telling you anything. You're obviously are stuck on the past when there can be a brighter future waiting for all of us!" she ran from him.

* * *

So many memories… so many shadows… As he passed the rooms, he could see those images of him and her playing out as if they were really there… When he passed the kitchen, he saw them making that pizza that lead to a food fight, and making blueberry pancakes for breakfast that one time. In the hallway, he saw the many conversations they held there. The recreation room where they played many of the games there and she'd usually win… He looked out a window and saw them playing in the snow… And finally, when he passed the dining hall, he saw their first dance…

He lingered there, seeing them dancing away… but in reality, there was no one there. Just an empty hall.

Finnick was carrying Fru-Fru in his paws as they carefully witnessed the scene. He whispered.

"What did I tell you? It's been that way since she left…"

"Oh… Poor Nicky… He hasn't spoken in a week! How he must be suffering…"

"Suffering" was an understatement. Nick could feel the agonizing pain in his heart and it just kept growing every day. To him, this was worse than when he had been muzzled.

All he had left of her was memories.

* * *

Judy's suitcase was nearly packed on the bed, but she found herself unable to finish as she sat there staring at it and the acceptance letter that sat inside. She sighed. His words echoed in her head, _"Go. Live your dreams, Judy Hopps, show the world what you're made of… Get in the force and show them what a good damn cop you can be…"_

"I want to… but without you… how can I?" she found herself saying out loud.

"How can I what?" her mother walked in the room without her realizing it.

"Oh, Mom… I didn't see you there…" The scenario suddenly made her remember a different scenario involving a fox about to take her outside to play in the snow. That just made the ache inside her grow deeper.

"Judy… honey, are you sure you're okay…? If something had happened to you at that place, please tell me…" Bonnie pleaded with her eyes.

Judy took a breath, "Something did happen in that place…"

"What?" her mother fretted.

But her daughter just gave a reassuring smile, "I met someone…"

Bonnie gasped and covered her mouth.

"I know you always hoped I would find a nice rabbit to settle with, but I couldn't help myself… He may be a fox, but he and I had so much in common and we had this mutual bond, becoming each other's best friend… I will admit we had a rocky start, but once we looked past our differences, we were able to find something to share and we had been sharing ever since…"

"Oh, Judy…"

"I know this isn't normal, a predator and prey relationship, but are there any rules about love? I studied long enough to know the laws of Zootopia and I am willing to follow those rules as a righteous police officer, but for me personally and my heart, I want to be with the one I love…"

Bonnie had a small smile on her lips, "I do understand, Judy… It's going to take some getting used to… but your happiness should matter… Your father will need some time, but he'll give in. Just… which fox is it?"

Judy gave a cheesy grin, "The tall one."

"Ah. Well, like I said, it's going to get some getting used to, but the way you described your feelings towards him reminds me of when your father and I first fell in love…"

"Really?"

"Oh, yes, and suddenly, your sulking around makes even more sense. When we were first married, your father was away delivering the produce for a week and I missed him terribly."

"So when he came back, you were happy again?"

"Absolutely, and it turns out he missed me terribly, too. I always believe that when you miss someone so enormously, it's true love."

Judy's amethyst eyes widened at the thought. She slowly said, "You're right… Oh, Mom, I can't put it off anymore! I love him! I need to go to him and tell him!" She hopped off the bed and rushed past her father.

He exclaimed, "Whoa! Jude, where's the fire?"

"The fire is in my heart!" she shouted back and ran out the room.

"Oh." he gave a confused look, "What?"

* * *

Judy was about to get the truck when a van screeched into the driveway. She yelped at its sudden appearance when she gaped at who was at the wheel.

"Finnick?"

"Judy!" the small fox got out and had a worried look in his eyes. "I'm so glad I found you!"

"What? Fin, what's going on? You're never worried, so something's wrong!"

"It's Nick, Judy…"

She gasped and she could feel the blazing fire in her heart started to dim.

"He left in the middle of night without us knowing and left this note." he handed over the paper to her.

Judy read the note out loud, "Dear everyone… I couldn't stay in the house any longer, not with everything reminding me of her… I thought I could get past it like I could with everything else, but let's face it, Judy has touched too much of our lives for her to be not so easily forgotten, especially by me…" Tears were starting to spill from her eyes as she kept reading, "I decided to go on my own for a while to help clear my head. I'll be back. I just don't know when. Tell Big and Fru-Fru 'Thanks for everything', and Finnick for being the best partner in crime and pal, who was like a brother a fox could ask for… and if you see Judy again, tell her I-" She saw that was how it ended. He couldn't finish the last part, but why?

"Once we read that note, I rushed over to find you. He's never done anything like this before. It actually scares me, Judy, because he's right. He is like the brother I never had. Why else would I put up his bad jokes?"

Judy wiped a tear away, "You're so right, Fin… As a matter of fact, I was about to come over to tell him I love him."

The fox's eyes widened before he broke into a grin, "About time!"

"Mind if I take shotgun?"

"Be my guest. If anyone's going to find him, it's a lovesick bunny he misses…"

She rolled her eyes, but then gave a determined look as they got in the van. "By the way, where did you get this vehicle?"

"It's mine. It was in Big's garage."

"Nice." It was all she could say as she pushed the petal and drove them away.

They were unaware that a hare was listening to them by the house the whole time. He reached for his cell and dialed the number. Harold said, "Yes, hi. I think I will take up on your deal, after all. In fact, I would like the privilege to use a Night Howler on a fox that's stolen my girl…"


	10. The Search

The Search

Judy stopped the van in front of the ZPD as Finnick cringed.

"Sure it's wise to involve the police in this?"

"We have a better chance at finding Nick if we get the police to help look for him. Besides, I'm being recruited in their academy. They have to listen to me, right?"

"Actually, no. You're still a civilian in their eyes until you pass training."

"Well, I still have to report a missing mammal to them." She got out of the van, saying, "I'll be right back."

She walked into the building in awe by the sight. Officers much larger than her were going about their day, and some were on their coffee break, eating donuts that she had noticed by the front desk. She went up to the cheetah and said.

"Excuse me."

The cheetah had a doughnut stuffed in his mouth and looked around, trying to find where the sound came from.

"Down here." Judy motioned.

The cheetah gulped the doughnut and started to squealed, "Oh, my goodness! Aren't you just the cutest thing?!"

Judy winced at the word 'cutest' and cleared her throat, "Sorry, um, I don't mean to call you out on that, but it's offensive to use the word 'cute' for a bunny. Only other bunnies are allowed to say it."

The cheetah quickly apologized, "Oh, my gosh! I'm so sorry! Of course you don't want to be referred to that way. My bad!"

She smiled, "That's okay. You'll know better once I start working here."

"Huh?"

"Well, I'm a recruit that'll be heading off to the academy soon, so once I'm done with training, we'll be working together!"

"Really? Wow, they recruit anyone these days…"

She frowned at the comment, but chose to ignore it. Finding Nick was a bigger concern right now to her.

The cheetah noticed her look and quickly added, "Not that I don't think you won't get in, but the Chief has other ideas of recruitment…"

"Clawhauser!" a booming voice came, startling both Ben and Judy. Chief Bogo came closer, "What are you doing sitting there? There are papers that need filing and-" He stopped when he saw Ben was talking to the small rabbit the whole time, "Oh." he cleared his throat, "What can we do for you, ma'am?"

Judy stared at the large police chief, _Okay, relax, Judy. This is your future boss you're talking to. Make a good impression…_ "Uh, yes, sir. My name is Judy Hopps. As it so happens, I need to report a missing mammal case."

Ben mentioned, "I was wondering why you came in. I thought maybe for a second there, you were taking notes for the academy."

"Academy?" Bogo questioned.

"Yes, it also happens that I'm a recruit to Zootopia's Police Academy, but that's beside the point. I need help finding a missing mammal that's a dear friend of mine."

"Aww…" Ben touched his heart, "Of course, we'll help!" He handed her some forms, "Just fill in this information and sign at the bottom."

"Now wait a second!" Bogo snatched the forms away. He lowered his face to the bunny, causing for her to feel the hot air. She winced at his closeness. "I usually like recruits to learn all of this at the academy…"

Judy was appalled at what he was suggesting, "Sir! That's not the case at all! There really is a missing mammal and he's my best friend! He's a red fox, tall, has green shimmering eyes, and his name is Nicholas Wilde."

Ben questioned, "Green shimmering eyes?"

Judy blushed at her mistake of revealing a bit much on her attraction to Nick. "Oops… I didn't mean to describe it like that."

"All the more reason you need the training at the academy. They'll teach you to be discreet, but chances are they'll fail you on the first day."

Judy was shocked and was on the verge of tears, but remembering Nick's lessons of not letting them get to her, she took a deep breath and pointed, "Sir, what you think of me is of little importance. All I care about right now is finding Nick… Now as officers of the law, it's your duty to find missing mammals that are being reported missing, and I have a missing mammal that needs finding." She grabbed the papers back from the cape buffalo, who was wide-eyed at how aggressive the bunny was. Even Clawhauser was taken aback as well.

She quickly filled out the form and handed it back to Ben.

The cheetah said, "We'll call you if we find him."

"Thank you, that means a lot to me." She smiled at him and then saluted at the Chief, "Sir." She hopped on out, leaving the two officers stunned.

* * *

"How could I have been so blind…?" she muttered as she drove.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. We all knew how much you wanted it." Finnick said sympathetically.

"Nick had the right to laugh at me… He did me a huge favor showing me the harsher side of reality…"

Fin smirked, "All the more reason you love him, right?"

"Yep. If it weren't for him, I never would've had the guts to do what I did in there, talking back to the head of the ZPD."

The fox let out a low whistle.

"I just hope they'll follow through and try to find him…"

"One thing's for sure, they'd be idiots if they didn't let you on the force."

That made her smile.

They spent the entire day searching, driving down streets and areas and all the major ecosystems of Zootopia. Once they grabbed a bite in Savanna Central, Judy scanned the crowds, wishing one of them had a red bushy tail or pointed ears that were easy to help spot the fox she loved. But no mammal came even close.

They were back in the van as she asked the fennec fox, "Fin, there's got be some place we haven't looked yet."

"We checked all our old hideouts that he and I lived in, but he wasn't in any of them. I don't know where else he could have gone… Unless…"

"Unless?"

"It's a long shot, but I think it's our best bet. Turn here." He pointed in the direction they had to go in.

They were a few blocks away from a park that had a bridge.

"You really think he's there?" she asked.

"Could be. It's one of the few places he goes to be alone. I never cared of course 'cause it wasn't my business. He told you what kind of a life he had, so I knew it was best I left it alone."

"Sure you don't want to come?"

"Trust me, it's better he sees you and you see him…" he gave a tiny smile.

She returned it as she got out of the vehicle.

* * *

Nick laid on his chair, holding the tanning mirror on himself. He thought it might help distract him from his lingering thoughts on a rabbit he was so desperately in love with. But sometimes, just as he was about to go to sleep, he would hear her calling out his name.

"Nick…"

There it was again. He sighed, knowing it was just a desperate wish to have her beside him.

"Nick…"

It was louder this time, but it didn't matter. His heart was aching from the pain.

"Nick!"

Okay, now he was going crazy. That sounded like that was almost close to him.

"Nick!" the voice was joyful and loud. He opened his eyes, seeing a bright Judy in the sunlight. Great, now he was having delusions.

He muttered, "It's just an illusion… It'll go away…" he moved the tanning mirror to cover his face.

"Illusion? Nick, do you honestly believe I'm not here?" she grabbed the mirror and pulled it away from him, "Take a good look."

He did and he slowly got up to approach her to make sure she really was there and not some trick of the light. He touched her shoulder. It felt real enough… but then he saw the tears in her eyes. When she moved in for a hug, that was when he knew for sure it was really her… He embraced back and let out his own tears.

"I missed you so much…" she said.

"You did?" he had her face him.

"Yes…"

"But… I thought you would be at the academy by now…"

"Oh, Nick… I tried to go, but I found I couldn't… It became too hard to leave knowing I left something or someone behind… Someone who makes me so happy that I would give up wanting to be a cop just to be with him…"

His mouth gaped at what she was saying, "Do you mean to tell me… that you… you actually…"

"Love you? Yes. Yes, I do." she smiled at him, "I love you, Nicholas Wilde."

His heart was beating rapidly. The fear he held on for so long had disappeared. She loved him. She really loved him. He smiled brightly at her and held her paws, bringing her closer to him.

"And I love you, Judy… I have for a while now… Ever since we danced our first dance, though I like to think you stole my heart on that first day we met…"

"Funny, I going to say the same thing about you…" she laid her head on his chest and they lovingly embraced.

After a brief moment of blissful silence, he said, "You don't know how hard it was letting you go like that…"

She smirked, "I have some idea…" She held out the note that Finnick gave her, "That last part wouldn't happen to be 'I love her', could it?"

He smirked back, "Maybe…" He took the note and crumpled it up, "I was afraid to admit it because if you had read the note with it saying that, you would have gotten scared and would have been forced to break my heart, saying you didn't feel the same way about me."

"Or… it would have made me more determined to find you and tell you that I loved you, too…" she nuzzled his face.

"You have no idea how happy this makes me, Judy… After one disappointment after the other, I thought having your love would be impossible, and yet here you are… proving that there is still good left in this world…"

"Having your love is just as important to me… I know my parents are going to need time to get used to it, but once they see how much in love we are, they won't object."

"How about we go on a couple of dates first before meeting the parents?"

She giggled and kissed his cheek, but he did one better as he grabbed her chin, causing them to stare into each other's eyes and slowly moved in to get in close enough to their lips…

But just as they were about to kiss, a voice shouted.

"Nooo!"

They looked up to see a hare on top of the bridge, trembling with a dart gun in his hands…


	11. The Real Beast

The Real Beast

"Harold, what…?" Judy started.

"You know him?" Nick questioned.

"He's from my hometown." she looked back up, "What are you doing here?"

"Stopping you from making a horrible mistake! You can't love him, Judy! He's a predator! A fox! The ancient enemy of our kind! You can't seriously love this beast!"

Judy scowled and yelled, "I can and I do! We're not living in the past, Harold! Nick is not the foxes of the old days. These days, we can be anything we want to be! And I want to be with him!"

Nick gave a determined look to the hare while wrapping an arm around his girl, "And I want to be with Judy. Think of me all you want, but all that matters to me is what she thinks…" He smiled at her and she returned it before looking back at the hare. "And if you think we're scared of your little tranquilizer dart gun, you're sadly mistaken…"

"Oh, this is no ordinary tranquilizer gun…" he reached in the back of the gun, pulling out a bright blue pellet. "In this is serum from a Night Howler…"

Judy's eyes widened. She remember Emmitt telling her about Night Howlers being another name for Midnicampum holicithias, which she could recall growing on her family's farm and how he never used Night Howlers in his shop because if someone came in contact with one, they would become ill and savage.

"Maybe now this will prove to you that predators are and always will be cold-blooded killers…"

"What will it prove?!" she demanded, "If you hit someone with that, they won't be in control of their own actions!"

"Where did you even get that thing anyway?!" Nick yelled.

"Someone. They were visiting Bunnyburrow and found me, asking where they could find some Night Howlers. I took them to a whole row of them in one of the fields. We started talking and we found out that we both had distrust toward predators and they offered me to join their cause. I was uncertain at first, but once you came back, Judy, I realized you were overshadowed by those foxes, so I called them up and they gave me this. Thanks to my contact, I was able to locate you in time. I can't believe you were about to kiss him!" he made a gagging noise, having the both of them give off annoyed looks.

"Carrots, just how do you know this guy?" Nick asked.

"He's a neighbor and we went to the same school, but lately, he's been trying to pursue me…" she held a guilty look.

Harold said, "I wasn't the only one! There were others pining for your affections. I had to get a move on before someone had beaten me to it! Of course, how ironic was it I didn't have to worry about other rabbits after all, but foxes! I beg of you, Judy. Come back to Bunnyburrow. Forget this creature…"

"You can't tell me what to do, Harold!"

He sighed, rubbing his temple, "I guess we do this the hard way… I'm only trying to save you from a horrible mistake! You have no idea what is coming for this city! Already, the Night Howler plan is in motion. Predators will revert to their savage ways!"

"No! Someone will make them savage!" Nick gnashed his teeth, feeling so angry that predators would be more mistreated than they already were.

Judy was feeling the same way, "What it is you want, Harold?!"

"Nothing really, except for you to be my wife… I have been in love with you, Judy, since that day you stood up to Gideon Gray, the bully, the predator of our childhood. You were a hero to all of us rabbits."

"I only stood up to Gideon because what he was doing was wrong! I didn't stand up to him just because he was a predator! You've mistaken my actions!"

"Still… I had only one goal… to find the one girl that my parents wanted me to settle with, and I chose you. Judy, if you step away from him now, I can promise you that I won't let them use the Night Howlers on him. As long as I have you, they won't have any reason to target him. It disgusts me, but if you so desperately don't want him to be savage by the Howlers, then all you have to do is say the word and I will make sure he doesn't. But that's only if you come with back to Bunnyburrow and marry me."

Judy was appalled at what she was hearing and Nick was even more appalled that this bunny, that this _hare_ … could use him against Judy like that.

"But you wouldn't even have my love! How can you live with that?!"

"Judy… rabbits don't need love in order to _multiply_ …"

"Eww…"

"Okay, bunny boy, that's going too far!" Nick was about to climb the bridge.

"Stay back! I'm warning you, fox!" he held the gun with both paws.

"Nick, no!" she held him back.

"Judy, let him savage me…"

"What? No!"

"I rather be savaged and muzzled than for you to go with him… Once I'm hit, I want you to run away as fast as possible. I don't want you to be killed if I'm too dangerous to be around…"

"Nicholas Wilde, don't you dare do this!"

"What choice do we have, Judy? I refuse to be a bargaining chip that causes your unhappiness! I won't let you go with him!"

Tears streamed down her face. She was in utter amazement that this fox was willing to give up everything he held about predators being treated, including himself. But the thought of him being savaged and muzzled broke her heart. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing him in that state, especially after the trauma he endured the first time of wearing one of those awful things. He didn't deserve to go through that again. She had to think of another way for them to get out of this… Her ears were in tune, listening to Harold's paws trembling against the gun he was holding. _In one spook, he could set it off…_

Nick couldn't be held back anymore and started toward the hare and that did it. In his frightened state, he triggered the gun and the pellet went flying towards him. He was about to embrace the blow when a gray blur pushed him away instead.

"No!" he heard the hare yell out and to Nick's horror, he saw Judy lying on the ground with a blue stain on her neck.

"Judy!" he rushed to her, "No… no…"

Judy stirred, but when she opened her eyes, they were pitch black. She got up and stared up at Nick, twitching her nose.

Harold screamed, "What have you done?!"

Nick yelled back, "What have I done?! You're the one who was stupid enough to set off the Night Howler!"

"It was supposed to be you! Not her!"

Nick glanced back at the rabbit who was on all fours, "Judy? Judy, can you hear me? It's Nick…"

The rabbit kept staring and twitched her nose.

"This is all your fault!" Harold made a jump to attack Nick, but Judy saw the hare, made a snarl, and attacked him instead. "AHHH! Get her off of me!"

By then, the ZPD had just made their entrance.


	12. Reunited

Reunited

Judy groaned as she came out of her sleep. She opened her eyes to find herself lying in a hospital bed. She turned her head to find a fox's head sleeping at her bedside. She smiled at seeing him and moved her paw through his furry head. That caused him to stir and wake up to find his love awake and free from the Night Howler serum.

He smirked, "She's alive…"

She gave a tired smirk, "And apparently, so are you…"

"Thanks to you…"

"How? I remember pushing you out of the way and felt the pellet hitting me and the serum overwhelming me… Did I go savage?"

"You did, but not toward me. You just stared up at me with a blank expression, but once Bunny Boy tried to attack me, you saw him as a threat and attacked him instead. Man, I saw the scratches you gave him and you bit his ear off."

She gasped in horror, "I did?! Oh my gosh!"

He chuckled, "Nah, you came close, though. All he has is bite marks. He's in the hospital healing, too, but he's under guard by the police, who I was surprised made an appearance to arrest him. Once Finnick explained it all to me, I have you to thank for that, too."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Since you reported a missing mammal case involving me, Finnick saw Harold following after you and decided to find out why. Thanks to his small size, he was able to hide from us and the bunny. Once he heard about the Night Howlers, he rushed to call the police to tell them he found their missing fox and gave them our location. The police saw the whole thing and once you attacked, they moved in, arresting him and the evidence he held. Chief Buffalo Butt told me about how you managed to stand up to him when you tried to fill out the missing mammal report. I'm impressed, Carrots."

"All thanks to you. I never would have done that otherwise without your influence… All the more reason why I came to love you, sly fox…"

"In this case, you weren't dumb. You bringing in the police was sheer genius."

"Only because you went missing. It broke my heart thinking I was never going to see you again…" she grabbed his paw and held it to her face, shedding small tears on it.

He came closer and kissed her cheek. "I missed you, too… It was like a hole in my heart that refused to heal…"

"Mine, too… but once I saw you again and told you how I felt, it started to mend, but once I heard you loved me too, it fully healed in that one moment…"

"I call it: Nicholas Wilde's Heartbreak Cure-All…"

She rolled her eyes but giggled all the same.

"All joking aside, the hole in my heart healed too when you said those five magical words. Could you repeat them?"

"I love you, Nicholas Wilde."

"And I love you, Judy Hopps."

They leaned in for a kiss when the door to her hospital room opened wide and a crowd of mammals came in, starting with her parents.

"There she is!" Stu exclaimed.

"Oh, sweetheart!" Bonnie rushed to the bed, hugging her daughter, "Are you alright? When we got that call from Fru-Fru, we just had to rush over to see you!"

"Yes, Mom… I'm okay…" She glanced at Nick when she said that last part, causing Bonnie to connect the dots.

Kevin carried in Mr. Big and Fru-Fru and put them on the table next to Judy's bed.

"You certainly had us scared!" Fru proclaimed.

"I spared no expense to have the doctors make sure they produced an antidote to the Night Howler serum. You are a part of the family, Judy, and family must be taken care of." He looked up to Stu, who was wincing toward the crime boss, "As for you, Mr. Hopps, I would like to formally apologize for my behavior toward you. I forgive you for breaking my Grandmama's vase, because I'm sure even she would be happier seeing Judy well than all of us having a grudge over a piece of broken pottery.

"Know that you and your children from this day on will live under my protection. If any one of your clan is threatened, I will take care of it immensely."

Stu was speechless of a moment, "Oh… wow… I mean… I don't know what to say… but thank you…"

Bonnie smiled, "Yes, thank you…"

Finnick approached the bed, "Well, glad to see you're all right and everything worked out in the end."

"And we have you to thank for that." Judy smiled.

"Me? No, all I did was call the police, which I would not have thought of if you didn't do that report. I guess I could have called them without a missing mammal, but would they have believed me about a rabbit holding Night Howler serum?"

A loud voice stated, "I'll tell you right now: no, we wouldn't have." Chief Bogo came into the room, causing Stu and Bonnie and Fru-Fru to tense up, even Judy, but Nick, Finnick, Mr. Big, and Kevin were unfazed.

"Hopps, glad to see the serum antidote is working. Can't have a recruit of mine acting all savage, can we?"

"Recruit?"

"You're still planning on attending the academy, aren't you? You just uncovered a major conspiracy from ever happening. While it's true we still don't know who the brains are behind the outfit, we're aiming to find out because we have the rabbit who was holding the serum in custody. He refuses to say who it is, but we'll get it out of him yet."

Bonnie shook her head, "I can't believe Harold would go so far to do this… He was such a perfect gentlebunny."

"To other bunnies, yes," said Judy, "To other mammals, not so much."

Stu mentioned, "One thing's for sure, it made me open my eyes that predator or _prey,_ you really cannot judge a book by its cover."

"I'm so glad to hear you say that!" Judy hugged her father and then turned to the chief, "Gosh, sir… I don't know about attending the academy after the way I was treated by you…"

"I was wrong, alright. I see that you're capable of being a cop, Hopps, but you still need training."

"Very well, sir, but I have one condition."

"Such as…?" he eyed the rabbit.

Judy pointed to Nick, "He gets training, too."

Nick gaped at his bunny lover.

Bogo deeply sighed, "I'm going to regret this aren't I…? Fine, Hopps, I'll send a personal request to the academy that… what was your name again?"

Nick smirked, "Nicholas P. Wilde, chief."

"That's chief _sir_! And you will do well to remember that after training is complete."

"Gotcha." he muttered, "Buffalo Butt…"

"What was that?!"

"Nothing!"

But his smirk said otherwise, causing the Chief to grunt and stomped out of the room.

Finnick smirked at his fellow fox, "This will be rich, you as one of the fuzz."

There was a clearing of the throat and they faced Mr. Big, giving off a slight scowl before turning to Judy.

"Why did you not tell me you wanted to be a cop?"

Judy gave a guilty look, "I didn't think you would like it, sir… even Fru-Fru, Finnick, and Nick warned me not to tell you."

The trio gave off guilty looks as well.

"My child, I could have offered you so much, but is this what you really want?"

"It is… I've been dreaming for this my whole life, but Mr. Big, I promise to not use that against you. You do your best to keep with the law so you can't get arrested. Do I like how you sometimes run things? No, I don't. But you gave me a chance to take my father's place, so why shouldn't I give you that same chance?"

"My dear Judy, you truly are heaven-sent. A gift from my Grandmama, no doubt. Live your dream, my dear, and I will do my best to do better for your sake."

"I couldn't ask for anything better…" she gave out a yawn.

A doctor who was a honey badger came in, "Visitors have to go now. We're past the crisis of removing the serum from her, but she needs her rest."

There were random goodbyes as they started leaving her room, but Judy held Nick back.

"There was something you were going to give me, Mr. Wilde…"

He smirked at what she meant and once he made sure everyone had gone, he kissed her right on the lips.

When Judy was released from the hospital, she and Nick set out for the Police Academy. It wasn't easy for them alone, but together, they were able to pass through every obstacle, every test that was thrown at them. Because of this, they both passed at the top of their class and were presented as the first rabbit and fox officer the precinct ever had.

When they arrived at the ZPD, Bogo assigned them to take down a street racer. Eventually, they were assigned to work on the Night Howler case and found the real brains due to their friend Emmitt Otterton going savage and so many other predators. It wasn't easy pinning the case on Dawn Bellwether, but with Judy's carrot recorder pen and with her and her partner's incredible acting skills, they did it.

Life couldn't be better for the bunny and her fox… And their love for each other never faded away…

* * *

 _ **AN: There you have it! I'm actually releasing a version of**_ **The Little Mermaid** _ **next called**_ **Through Waves and Shadows _so if any of you are interested, I'll be releasing that next week! Thank you all for your support!_**


	13. Bonus Scene: Evermore

_**AN: I cannot believe at how much support this story has gotten! So to celebrate having 200 favorites, here is a bonus scene that would have been perfect had Beauty and the Beast remake been released a year earlier. I hope you enjoy it.**_

* * *

"I love you, Judy Hopps… I love you…"

His legs gave away and he crumbled onto the floor in a fetal position. He whimpered in way most mammals would call pathetic but it couldn't be helped. Just when Nicholas Wilde thought he couldn't be more broken by the world around him. Fate just had to play a cruel joke on him by bringing _her_ into his life. She broke through his walls and in doing so she made her way into his melancholy heart. It was torture to have not told her what she meant to him before she left. He had been so sure that by telling her how he felt his feelings would have been discarded and he would end up feeling shattered. Oh, how wrong he was…

The minute Judy disappeared from those gates; his heart broke so hard that he couldn't stand anymore. His heart ache so much that he was sure he was going to die from the pain.

He had been so lost in his grief that he didn't hear the door opening and a small fox coming in.

"Nick?" Finnick called out.

The red fox couldn't reply as he let out another whimper.

The fennec finally spotted him and a gloomy expression went on his face. He shook his head, "I knew it… I knew you should have told her before it was too late." he went to his friend and started helping him up, but with their difference in sizes it was not easy. The smaller fox managed to get the bigger fox onto his bed where he just laid there like a lump.

Finnick panted for a bit but once he caught his breath he stared at the fox he had known for so long that the fennec actually had to blink back tears from seeing him in this condition.

"Had I known you would react like this, I would have told her myself…"

That seemed to snap the taller fox out of it and snarled at the smaller one, " _No_ …"

Finnick smack his face while muttering, "Nicholas P. Wilde…" he glared the fox, "Look at yourself! You are desperately in love with that bunny and even now you refuse to admit it!"

" _I love her_ …"

Finnick's eyes widen in shock from Nick's sudden confession.

"I admit it. But I will never say it to her, I can't."

"You are such an idiot! Fine! Suffer for all I care! Because one day she'll end up marrying someone else all because a fox was too scared to admit his feelings to her! Well, your loss!" he stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Nick laid back on the bed and held his paws over his heart. The pain was still there, there was no hope of getting rid of it. He closed his eyes and there she was… As it were she would always haunt his thoughts from now on and be with him… Forevermore…


End file.
